Greenstein: Dems took You are my enemies' the wrong way

TRENTON — A video released showing assistant majority leader Linda Greenstein saying she thinks all Mercer County Democrats are her enemies was taken out of context, according to her campaign administrators.

A video leaked of Greenstein at a recent Mercer County Democratic Convention where the state senator allegedly said “I hate everybody in here. Everybody in here is my enemy, except for the people from Hamilton. The rest of you are my enemies.”

The private nomination process internal meeting is where Greenstein was taped saying the rude comment in front of a handful of peers. According to a source, she was questioning the differences between the Mercer County nomination processes versus the Middlesex County nomination process.

“In a private conversation in which I posed a simple question, I was met with overheated rhetoric. This was clearly a flawed process, and I referenced the handful of party bosses in the room that attempted to rig the convention on behalf of their candidate,” said Assemblywoman Greenstein. “Having represented Mercer County for nearly 15 years, I was shocked and appalled by their political extremism.”

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Greenstein, after questioning the fairness of the nomination process felt like the underdog at the convention full of Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman supporters which allegedly included the County Executive Brian Hughes.

The political veteran, along with Assemblywoman Coleman, and Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, have been vying for the support of voters in the four different counties in the 12th Congressional District. Greenstein, who has overseen the 14th district, is looking to move into longtime incumbent Rush Holt’s vacated seat.

County Executive Brian Hughes said he was not at the event where the remarks were made but does contend that he supports Coleman.

“The fact that I am supporting the Mercer County candidate shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone,” he said. “The fact that she is calling the processess bad doesn’t make sence because Mercer County has the most open convention process of the four counties that make up the distric.”

According to Hughes, Greenstein is simply crying over spilled milk because she lost the convention despite having accesss to the mailing and call list months in advance. He also pointed out that she has successfully used the same process for close to 12 years prior to the recently nomination.

Hamilton Township officials were taken aback at the alleged comments, saying that Greenstein has never outright dismissed her local Democratic counterparts.

“I don’t know what to say except that doesn’t sound like the Linda Greenstein I know,” said Spokesperson for the Hamilton Democratic Club Dan Keelan.

Some county officials were rendered speechless.

“I thought we had a pretty good relationship, and there are not a lot of people who I can say to that would say such a thing,” said County Freeholder Sam Frisby. “Maybe she said it in the heat of some sort of battle because she continues to serve her constituents and get things done for the people.”

Greenstein’s team has worked overtime on Thursday to counter the negative press including attacking the process as sexist. “It is equally outrageous for her to blame her failure to win the endorsement on a closed, back-room process. As the Senator well knows, there is no back room in Mercer County — ‘smoke-filled’ or otherwise,” said Elizabeth Maher Muoio, Chair of the Mercer County Democratic Committee.

“Mercer County’s convention process is widely regarded as one of the most open and fair in the state. Over 400 delegates participated in and voted at our convention after hearing from all four candidates vying for Mercer’s endorsement. The rules followed at that convention are the very same rules by which Senator Greenstein was endorsed for both her Assembly and Senate seats over these past 15 years. Clearly, the results were not what she had hoped for, but to blame them on sexism or on a closed process is deceptive, untrue and insulting.”

About the Author

After being laid off from American Express, Sherrina went back to school and got a masters from C.U.N.Y. She isn't scared to ask tough questions and enjoys getting the story behind the story. Reach the author at Snavani@trentonian.com
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